News

Volunteer firefighters are on the scene of a trailer fire at the trailer park at 55 Sugar Street. All occupants of the affected trailer have evacuated safely Newtown police have closed the Sugar Street (Route 302) in both directions. Motorists should avoid the area.

Working as one, responders from all of Newtown's five volunteer fire companies stood shoulder to shoulder fighting a dramatic trailer fire at the Meadowbrook Terrace Mobile Home Park at 55 Sugar Street Tuesday morning. As assistance with water shuttles and coverage for local fire houses poured in from Monroe, Southbury and Brookfield, local crews doused the 30 by 10-foot residential trailer as resident Frank Rocca, Jr. and his pet dog, stood a few feet away watching as the structure became fully engulfed in flames. The call was initially reported as a possible furnace fire. Fire Marshal Bill Halstead was first on the scene, and reported fire showing through the front door of the mobile home. Hook & Ladder Assistant Chief Jason Rivera arrived shortly thereafter and assumed command of the scene.

Just a few weeks past the one-year anniversary of a major flood at the C.H. Booth Library, a frozen pipe burst above the Children's Department cascading water and debris down into the Children's Department late Tuesday morning. No one was injured, but the burst pipe tied to the library's fire suppression sprinkler system pooled inch-deep water across the floor, greeting staffers who sloshed around the area beginning to assess the damage when The Bee arrived on scene. Fire Marshal William Halstead visited the scene and said a pipe connection to the sprinkler system split, causing the indoor deluge. The library is now closed and will remain closed until building officials complete their investigation, and clear the building for occupancy.

A federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment against a Tennessee man, charging him with six counts of wire fraud for allegedly defrauding contributors to an organization that he established after 12/14. Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kevin J. Kline, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, disclosed the indictment in a February 17 statement issued by spokesman Thomas Carson. Robert Terry Bruce, 34, of Nashville was named in the indictment. The indictment was returned under seal on February 4, and Bruce was arrested on February 13 in Tennessee. “This arrest serves as a warning to anyone who attempts to profit from the tragedy at Sandy Hook,” said Ms Daly.“With the assistance of the FBI, we will continue to prioritize the investigation of fraudulent schemes that exploit the generosity of donors responding to this tragedy,” she said. “Creating a fraudulent charity to exploit a tragedy for personal gain is unconscionable,” said Mr Kline. “These investigations will continue to be a priority for the Federal Bureau of Investigation,”

Police are urging residents to have a heightened awareness of their surroundings and to promptly report any suspicious activity to them, in view of a recent increase in burglaries. Lieutenant Richard Robinson, who heads the police department’s detective unit, said that during the three-month period from November through January inclusive, there were 19 local burglaries reported to police. There have been three main types of burglaries occurring, according to Lt Robinson: residential burglaries, which typically involve the theft of jewelry and cash, with some high value smaller electronic devices also stolen; commercial burglaries, which typically target cash and merchandise; and there have been numerous copper thefts, in which thieves steal copper piping and other scrap metals from within vacant buildings.

After meeting with members of the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers, representatives of the Booth Library and its board, the Board of Fire Commission, and the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps chief February 5, the Board of Selectmen completed its departmental review and unanimously approved a 2015-16 budget request of $40,203,958. That proposal includes all municipal operational expenses plus all debt service on capital borrowing for the town and school district. Requested debt service totals $10,110,702 and represents about a $233,000 reduction from the current budget year.

A homemade ice skating rink on Wendover Road beckons to two young children where they often play with their father. Hockey, specifically, is in their Canadian father’s blood, and both brother and sister have taken up the sport. Shaun Hannah and his son and daughter enjoy playing hockey at home and in youth leagues.

Through the generosity of The GE Foundation, which has granted $15 million to the Town of Newtown for the design, construction, and operations of a new community center, Newtown is moving forward on the planning for an expanded senior center and a new aquatic center for community use. Newtown Parks & Recreation will host a pair of public information sessions, which will include meeting the members of the design and construction team chosen by the town for this project.

Water & Sewer Authority members have unanimously approved having their consulting engineering firm start final design work on the Hawleyville sanitary sewer system extension, a municipal project intended to stimulate economic development.

Following a review of plans, Planning and Zoning Commission members on February 5 unanimously approved construction of a two-story, 30,000-square-foot medical office building at a 4.7-acre site at 168-170 Mt Pleasant Road (Route 6) in Hawleyville.